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Fusion Benchmarks - Read the EULA!

08-26-2012, 08:37 PM

Michael,

Some Phoronix readers may have noticed that VMware Fusion 5.0 was recently released, that too will be benchmarked in a future article especially with VMware claiming to have delivered more performance improvements to this compelling but proprietary and non-free virtualization software product.

Double check the EULA before posting Fusion 5 benchmarks. I was under the impression that VMWare host products had a clause preventing unauthorized publication. My Fusion 4 EULA had:

You may use the Software to conduct internal performance testing and benchmarking studies, the results of which you (and not unauthorized third parties) may publish or publicly disseminate; provided that VMware has reviewed and approved of the methodology, assumptions and other parameters of the study. Please contact VMware at benchmark@vmware.comto request such review.

I'm aware and that's what one would think, and why I had held out for a long time on publicly running VMware benchmarks via Phoronix.com, but apparently I am exempt from such regulations... VMware tweets my VMware benchmark articles, VMware tweets some OpenBenchmarking.org result links in the past too, VMware contacts me after publishing such articles not to complain but to say thanks and give ideas for future tests or offer pre-releases of future products, etc etc. It's also a likely bet that they run PTS internally as part of their regression test suite to ensure that regressions don't occur in their products that would be spotted by the main Linux source for such benchmarks. So in the end, everyone is a winner and VMware's EULA is apparently not evil.

Comment

It's also a likely bet that they run PTS internally as part of their regression test suite to ensure that regressions don't occur in their products that would be spotted by the main Linux source for such benchmarks. So in the end, everyone is a winner and VMware's EULA is apparently not evil.

I assure you, it's only "not evil" when VMWare's product is portrayed in a flattering light, whether by its own merit, or not.

On a positive side, they cannot have negative reviews removed from the web, they can only revoke the License.

I understand the need to protect their interests. Just be careful. Get it in writing, before the fact. I'd hate to see the money that I spent on ESX in our enterprise end up being used for legal BS.